


A Busy Night in Midgar

by purglepurglepurgle



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Action, Bad Decisions, Dark Comedy, Drama, Gen, Mischief, Shenanigans, Violence, bordering on crackfic in places, dark in places
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:33:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22655551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purglepurglepurgle/pseuds/purglepurglepurgle
Summary: Life in the Midgar slums is gruelling for a new mother, and when there's a knock at the door late one night, it's about to get a whole lot worse...
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	A Busy Night in Midgar

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this in Mid-November and forgot I'd finished it. It's set sometime shortly before the OG. Elena's a rookie in this fic, but she's gotta get field experience somehow. (ok i just like having elena around) For the timelines to work, assume Aeris asking people not to step on the flowers is a frequent occurrence, and assume Johnny has attempted to move out from his parents' place before. Or just take canon with a grain of salt. :P

It's late. Again. The clock on the wall's frozen; they can't afford to replace it, but Maddy knows it's past 11. Johnny has already broken his promise. He said he'd be back at 6, but here she is, stuck alone in the house with the baby, while he's at some bar chatting up some barmaid. More fool her. Maddy could tell that barmaid a thing or two. Maddy used to work at a bar, herself.

Baby Jake is quiet, at least. He's been very quiet the last few days. She catches herself walking toward the stairs, to check on him again, and forces herself to stop. He'll be fine. It's best not to dwell on it. They didn't even have enough money to take her to a medcenter to give birth; Johnny bought a potion at Wallmarket-- expired, as it turned out-- and there's still a brown stain on the bare boards of the livingroom floor. But she _did_ it. She clenches her fist. Some days she doesn't feel it, but Jake is the one good thing to come out of this mistake.

She bites back tears, and is wondering about calling her sister-- maybe she needs a truce-- when there's a hammering at the door.

White-hot anger flares through her. After all this, and he's going to wake up the baby, _too_?!

More hammering.

She marches over to the door and whips the bolt across. "Shush!" she whispers. "What are you--" she trails off as the door opens. That's not Johnny.

"Hey, doll," a man in a blue suit, with a long spiky red ponytail grins at her. "Was startin' to wonder if you was in. Johnny your husband?"

She nods, taken aback. There are two people with him-- a black man with a bald head and sunglasses (under the plate, at night?) and a white woman with a blonde bobcut. They're all dressed in blue. The bald man's sunglasses are perfectly moulded to his face. The woman's hair is the same shade as Maddy's, but the cut looks like it cost more than Johnny makes in a year. Their expressions are blank.

The redhaired man pushes past Maddy and walks into her house. "Nice place you got here. I like a place with a bit o' character. Wallpaper! Not seen that in years!" He's carrying a long metal rod. He taps it against the wall. "See, I keep tellin' the boss, what we really need in the office is some wallpaper. Make it real homey, like." He flashes another grin at her, and leans against the wall. His companions enter after him. They don't speak.

"Are you friends of Johnny's?" she tries to be polite. Their blue suits are expensive-looking; she doesn't _think_ this is a burglary but then what...? "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met?"

"Ah, no, see, that's a good thing." The man smiles at her. "I'm sorry we gotta meet now." He taps the stick against the corrugated steel wall again. It echoes through the house. She flinches. It takes hours to get Jake to settle.

"Please, could you keep it down? I don't want to wake the baby."

The man's face lights up. "You got a baby in here?" His voice is no quieter. He turns to the others. "Shit, man, never had one straight-up tell us they got a baby in the house." He turns back to Maddy, expression gregarious, explaining. "See, folks usually hide the baby. Pray it don't cry, kinda thing." He snickers. "'Don't wake the baby'... that's right up there with 'don't step on the flowers'..."

Maddy's unnerved. Her gaze flicks to the door. The bald man has shut it behind them.

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

"See, here's the thing." The redhead pushes himself away from the wall, wanders along her hall, opens the door to the living room, pokes his head inside. He shakes his head and turns back to her. "Your dear ol' husband owes us quite a bit of gil."

It clicks. _Blue suits._ Maddy covers her mouth with a hand.

"Think she's heard of us," mutters the bald man.

"Please," Maddy says, stomach cold. "We don't have anything. Look, even the, the clock's broken, you can see for yourself--"

"Not our problem." The redhead shrugs. He whacks his stick against the wall, harder, this time. The steel clangs. There’s a tear in the paper now. "Johnny owes us money, Johnny's gonna pay-- one way or another. So here's how it goes. We're gonna look through this place, see if there's anything lyin' around that covers it. An' if not, an' he's just sittin' around on his ass... well, see, he's gonna need a little incentive, ain't he?" He nods at his companions. "Alright, folks, let's take a look around."

It doesn't take them long. Maddy rushes to Jake. While they're distracted, she'll take him and run. She lifts him out of the cot-- he's still sleeping, thank the Gods-- but she's only taken two steps toward the door when the Turks burst in.

"Hey, hey, hey!" says the redhead, laughing, bounding toward her. "Where ya think you're going?"

"Please!" Maddy holds Jake tight, knuckles white, pressing his blond head to her chest. "We don't have anything for you, I'm sorry, I'll tell Johnny to sort it out, please--"

"Lady, it's not that I doubt ya powers of persuasion, but if I had a gil for every housewife who said that, I'd have a lot less gil than I get by doin' it my way. I’m sure ya understand." He steps closer. "Now, here's how I see it. Your Johnny, keepin' ya like this-- he's a bit of a bum, ain't he? I feel bad for ya, I really do." He sighs. "But I got some bad news for ya. Guy like that, he needs a bit of a shock. Needs a real good reason to get his act together, see what I'm sayin'?" His gaze moves to the baby.

"Don't hurt him." Maddy takes a step back.

The redhead scratches his ear. "Gotta do what I gotta do... Well, let's see. Okay. How 'bout this-- you give us the baby, we go on our merry way, you get it back when Johnny pays up. Deal?"

"Wait, what?" say the other Turks in unison.

"Shhh, s'fine," says the redhead. He turns back to Maddy. "Well?"

"G-get away from us..." she takes another step back, looking for something, anything she can use as a weapon. Johnny has a baseball bat, but it's in their bedroom...

"Aw, don't be like that. Last warnin'." He smiles again, baring his teeth.

She pauses, then lunges, pushing past him toward the door. But he lets out a whoop of laughter, grabs her hair, throws her back against the wall. "You ain't fuckin' tryin'!" He lifts the metal rod, and smacks her across the knees; she cries out, crumpling. He holds her up, hand pressed against her shoulder.

"Gimme the kid," he says, crouching down in front of her, "Or I'll knock every tooth outta your skull."

Pain thrums through her, but she'll protect her baby, whatever it takes. With her right hand, she presses Jake to her chest; with her left, she claws at the man's face. She gets his eye; he reels back, she jerks forward again-- but then the others are surrounding her, blocking her way.

"Fuckin' bitch!" The redhead isn't smiling any more. "Should crush ya kid's head in, just for that!"

"Reno," says the bald man.

"Fuck's sake..." the redhead hisses. Then, suddenly, he's reaching out, pulling at Jake, and she's trying to fight but she can't feel her arms; the blonde woman is holding something glowing and green; and Maddy tries to scream but the bald man's hand is over her mouth, and she bites him but it's too late, her baby, her baby--

"Pleasure doin' business with ya," says the redhead, straightening up, Jake in his arms. She stretches out a shaking hand; the redhead kicks her in the chest. There's a cracking sound. "Right, well, Johnny knows how much he owes. He pays up, he gets his kid back. An' if he comes to see us before that, well, if he's real lucky we'll drop this little guy down to him from the 67th floor--"

Maddy gasps. "Please, no--"

"See ya." There's another green glow. Maddy's frozen to the spot.

"It'll wear off after an hour or thereabouts," the redhead calls out as the Turks turn their backs, and walk out, with Jake, and there's nothing she can do and the door slams and she can't even scream.

*

"Well, look at that!" Reno bounces the baby on his chest. "We got ourselves a baby!"

Rude shakes his head.

"I don't _believe_ you!" Elena jogs to catch up. "That poor woman!"

"We should give him back," says Rude.

"Nah, man, I'm bondin' with it." Reno bounces the baby some more. "Nope, we found this baby, fair an' square. Finders, keepers."

"What?" Elena gapes at him. "You're not just trying to scare her?! What are we going to _do_ with it?"

"Fucked if I know," says Reno.

Rude and Elena stare at him incredulously.

Reno sniggers. "We'll put it in the office. Boss'll flip." Reno peers down. "It seems pretty happy, anyway. Still sleepin' after all that!" He gives the baby an approving eyebrow-raise.

Then he pauses.

They all look at the baby.

"Oh my god don't tell me you killed it," says Elena.

"Shut up, Laney." Reno's flustered. He lifts the baby up, listens close.

There's a long silence.

"Shit..." mutters Rude-- but then Reno relaxes.

"Nah, s'all good, s'breathin'-- s'just quiet. Listen." He presents it to them, then brings it close again. He looks relieved-- but after a few seconds, he frowns. "Yeah... s'pretty quiet..." He sounds uneasy. He holds the baby out at arm's length, inspecting it.

"What's wrong?" says Elena. There's a note of fear in her voice.

"Should we be heading to a hospital?" says Rude.

Reno says nothing, turning the baby this way and that.

"Oh my god, Reno, you're not a doctor!" Elena waves an arm, exasperated. "This is why we don't take strange babies--"

"Shut up," says Reno. He wiggles the baby's foot. "Ma worked in a medcenter. An I seen enough babies... nah, somethin's wrong. Hang on." He pulls out a knife.

"Reno?" says Rude.

"Laney, hold him a sec." Reno holds out the baby.

"I don't know how to hold a baby!"

"Ya hold it like ya hold anythin' else!"

"Nuh-uh, I'll drop it, don't bring it near me!" Elena takes a step back.

Reno rolls his eyes. "Rude?"

Rude looks equally nervous. "I don't know..."

"Just fuckin' do it, man; I need to get to its foot," says Reno.

Rude complies reluctantly, holding the baby in the manner he normally reserves for plastic explosives. Reno lifts the knife.

"What the actual fuck--" starts Elena, but Reno is already done. He's sliced a hole in the babygro. A purple foot sticks out.

"Well, shit," says Reno. "Yep, it's got scaletoe. Shit, man, that's the worst I've seen it." He flicks the knife back into his pocket, and takes the baby back off Rude.

"What?" Elena looks closer. The toenails are black, on a foot that's smaller than her little finger. "Is that bad?"

"Yeahhhhh... we should probably do that whole hospital thing." Reno runs his free hand through his hair. "Ya see it a lot under the plate. They reckon it started in the sahagins, mutated, now it gets people. Adults is mostly okay-- ya see it in old folks sometimes-- but babies hate that shit. Don't ya, little guy?" Reno scritches the baby on the head.

"But they can fix it?" Elena’s still staring at the foot, eyes wide.

"Oh yeah, s'just an elixir-- too pricey for most folks in these parts, but looks like it's this little fella's lucky day. C'mon, we'll take him up-plate."

"The doctors will ask how we're related," says Rude, as they head for the train.

"An' we'll say it's none o' their fuckin' business." Reno shrugs. "Laney can aim her gun if they get pushy."

"Oh no, I am _not_ making today even worse--"

Reno shrugs. "Fine, we'll say he's Rude's."

"Good plan," says Rude. The baby's hair is very blond under the station lights. The train pulls in; they board it.

*

The nurses take one glance at the baby and whisk it away, so the Turks wait in the hospital lobby.

"Will it be okay?" asks Elena.

"Eh, they know what they're doing." Reno looks uncomfortable. He goes to the vending machine, gets himself some crisps.

Rude clears his throat. More than once.

They sit. They wait.

They've been sitting for twenty minutes, and Reno has just got up to go to the vending machine a third time, to grab yet another snack that he won't share.

"You could at least get us some chocolate," sulks Elena, "since you got us into this--"

_BANG!_

The sound comes from somewhere outside, loud enough to make their ears ring. Before they can react, the room fills with smoke.

"Everyone, down on the ground!" someone shouts. Black-clothed figures in masks rush in. One waves a gun. "I said, _down on the ground_!"

"What the fuck?" yells Reno, as Elena pulls him down.

"Shh!" She restrains him, bracing against the cold laminate floor.

The man in black continues, "If anyone asks who was here today, tell them it was AVALANCHE! Nobody leaves!" A domesticated hellhouse careens in, collar around its neck. It shoots out a warning gust of flame. The man in black nods. "That's what you'll get if you try!"

Reno stares in disbelief. "But this is a _hospital_! That's so fuckin' _irresponsible_!"

"Keep _down_!"

"Those guns real?" asks Rude, crouching, watching.

"The monster is," says Elena.

The Turks have no choice but to watch. It doesn't look like the black-clothed figures have noticed their suits-- maybe thanks to the smoke. One figure stays by the door; the others disappear further into the hospital. The Turks hear racing footsteps, and screams echoing in the corridors-- though no gunshots, yet.

"Fuck this, I'm going home," mutters Reno, but Elena jerks him back again by the ponytail.

"You heard them, they won't let you go! And we can't get in a fight here, look!" She gestures at the other people in the waiting room-- an old man on a zimmerframe; a young woman on crutches. "They'll get hit in the crossfire--"

"Who gives a shit?" says Reno.

"You were _just_ saying how it's a hospital!"

Reno punches the floor.

"She's right," says Rude. "We wait for them to leave."

"Whatever happens, I'm clockin' out in an hour," Reno warns him, looking at his watch.

Elena yanks his ponytail again. "What about the baby?"

"You care so much, you take it." He pulls his hair free.

"Typical!" Elena snaps, a little too loudly; the man in black waves his gun at them. She glowers back at him, but says nothing.

They wait.

They don't have to wait long. A few minutes later, AVALANCHE are rushing out again-- and with a sinking feeling, the Turks see they're carrying a blond baby.

"What the fuck?" says Reno. "Fuckin' babysnatchers? Who the fuck kidnaps a baby?"

"..." says Rude.

"That's different!" says Reno.

"Reckon Johnny sent them?" says Elena.

Rude nods. The figures in black head toward the door.

Elena frowns. "I didn't know he knew AVALANCHE."

"Fuckin' sector 7, man," Reno shakes his head. "Should just drop the plate, squash the whole damn thing an' start over."

"Very funny," mutters Rude. There have been rumours that Shinra is planning exactly that.

The last man leaves, the hellhouse loping behind him. Immediately, the Turks are on their feet, skidding on the polished floor, running for the exit. Before the doors can reopen automatically, Reno smashes straight through the plate glass. Rude and Elena exchange a look as they jump through after him. They chase AVALANCHE down two streets before one of the men glances back and sees them.

"It's the Turks! Unchain Brenda!"

His colleague obeys. Free at last, the hellhouse roars so loudly that the surrounding dwellings shake. Spittle drips down its tongues, its eyes burning with murderous rage. It leaps towards the Turks. They jump back, just in time-- but now it's blocking their path, and advancing with every moment.

"Get 'em!" yells the black-clothed man, running off again.

The Turks are left with the hellhouse.

"Shit!" Reno darts forward, and smacks it on one giant, metallic knee, but it doesn't even tremble.

"They're getting away!" cries Elena.

"Yeah, Laney, I got fuckin' eyes!" Reno hits the hellhouse again, zapping it, this time, but it makes no difference. "Shit, shit, shit, we can't lose 'em, shit--"

"Let me!" says Elena, holding her materia aloft. It glows green-- and the hellhouse pitches forward, sleeping.

"Oh, nice!" shouts Reno.

His shout wakes it up again; Elena has to repeat the job.

After they've climbed over the monster’s sleeping body, they race after AVALANCHE, picking up the trail before the last figure in black disappears around the corner.

"Ah, shit," says Rude, as the Turks round the corner, too. It's the train station. They see a figure in black leap onto the train, between doors which are already closing. And they catch a glimpse of the baby through the window. Reno rushes forward and tries to scramble up onto the train roof, but Rude pulls him back.

"You'll get decapitated," says Rude. "Where's it going?"

"They could get off _anywhere_!" wails Elena.

The train horn sounds; there's a cloud of steam.

"We gotta stop it..." Reno stares around. "Can we throw somethin' on the tracks? Summon Ifrit or somethin'? Use a bomb?"

Rude steps past him as the train starts to judder forwards. He leans toward the door, stretches out a single finger, and presses the 'emergency stop' button.

"Or, hey, there's that." The train stops. Reno swings back, and smashes his electro rod through the train window. There are screams. "Listen up, y'all! There's a baby on that train belongs to the Shinra company! Give it us, or I set this train on fire!"

More screams, and the sounds of an altercation. Then someone holds a baby out of the traincarriage window-- a baby with brown hair.

"Not that one," says Reno, pushing it back, and there are more scuffling sounds, along with a few flashes of what looks like electricity magic.

Eventually, another baby is held out through the window-- a blond kid in a babygro. There's no longer a hole in the sock; the nurses must have replaced it. Reno nods and takes the baby. "That's the stuff."

The Turks leave the station and start down the street. At last. Reno turns to the others. "Well now, I think Johnny's debt's just gone up. Whaddya say--" He jumps. "Speak o' the devil!"

The others turn to look. Johnny himself is jogging toward them.

"Y-you!" he shouts. Tears are pouring down his face. "You took my kid, r-right?"

Rude and Elena step between Reno and Johnny, so Johnny can't get to the child.

Reno shakes his head pityingly. "Ya seriously thought ya could send AVALANCHE after us an' win?"

"W-what are you talking about?" says Johnny, wiping his nose on his forearm. "M-Maddy, she said-- listen, I don't have a-anything, but I'll do anything, anything at all, p-please, just, just let me see him again, p-please--"

Reno holds up the baby over his head. "Look all ya want, yo!" He cackles.

Johnny gasps-- then frowns. "But that's not my baby…"

*

They rush back to the train, dragging Johnny along, but it's too late. The civilians have been evacuated. AVALANCHE is long-gone.

"Shit!" says Reno, rounding on Johnny. "I know you're in on this! Get 'im, Rude!"

Rude raises his fists.

"I don't know anything, I swear!" Johnny is cut off as Rude pins him to the wall by the neck.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, they've taken ya kid to their hideout, ain't they? Then you'll go pick 'im up later, that the idea? Yeah, well just try it when we've strapped a good coupla concrete blocks to ya feet an' you're sinkin' to the bottom of a mako reactor! Fuck's _sake_!"

"We want our money," Elena adds, trying to sound equally intimidating. It doesn't work because her phone goes off at that moment. She looks at it. "It's the boss!"

"Put 'im on loudspeaker," says Reno, so she does.

"Urgent mission," Tseng’s voice crackles over the phone. They can hear shouts in the background. "I'll need you to work overtime tonight. Upper Midgar Hospital-- perhaps you've seen the news-- AVALANCHE have just kidnapped a baby."

"Oh yeah, we watched the news on that one." Reno pokes Johnny with the electro-rod as Johnny's face goes purple. Rude's fingers are tight around Johnny’s neck.

"Yes, well, this isn't just any baby," says Tseng. "As I'm sure you're aware, Scarlet has been trying to have a child for quite some time."

The Turks look at each other, eyes wide.

"Having finally succeeded, she's rather attached. You can imagine her displeasure. We need it back, and we need it back _now_. Where are you?"

"Er, here an' there..." says Reno.

"I'll send a picture," says Tseng. "To ensure you get the right one."

"Appreciate it, boss," says Reno. Tseng hangs up. Elena's phone buzzes. They look at the picture.

"Whaddya reckon?" says Reno, gaze flicking from the photo to the baby in his arms, and back again.

"I think it's that one," says Elena.

Rude nods, releasing Johnny's neck. Johnny falls to the floor, gasping.

"Well, sonovabitch," says Reno. "I guess we take it back?"

And so, the Turks and Johnny return to the hospital.

*

"Where do we go?" says Elena, when they arrive. They're allowed in because of their blue suits, but the hospital reception has been evacuated, and there's nobody at the desk.

"Guess we just walk around 'til we find the right room?"

They wander into a few rooms at random, until somehow they find one that's full of cots, and then--

"My baby!" gasps Johnny, rushing over to a cot. At that moment, Tseng walks in.

"There you are," he says to the team. "Any leads?"

Reno holds up the baby. "See for yourself!"

Tseng does a doubletake. "That was fast. Excellent." He takes the baby from Reno, and looks for a cot. They get the impression Tseng doesn't much like handling babies. As Tseng drops the baby into a cot, from a greater height than is usually advised, he almost trips over Johnny, who is kneeling on the floor, cooing at his own child. "You helped?" Tseng asks Johnny.

"N-not really," says Johnny.

Tseng isn't listening. He pulls 30,000 gil out of his wallet, and hands it to Johnny. "The Shinra company appreciates your service."

As Johnny stares at the money, Reno comes up behind him, and swipes it out of his hands. "Welp, that covers ya debt. Take ya kid whenever."

**Author's Note:**

> And so Johnny went home to his inevitable divorce.


End file.
